Feeding apparatus



J., c. MQBL'EYY EII'AL 2,393,334

Jan. 22, 1946.

FEEDING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 22) 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet; 1

INVENTORS James Karly/e flfl/eq Bmwan [5 .Sift'rmq J. c. MO'BLEY EH; 7 2,393,334

Jan. 22, 1946.

FEEDING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 22, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fill IIIIIIIII INVENTORS 0% m mw m h/Q l y hm W m w W which; V

.v'rfiebrsen" ini iitibnr 'elteffid eedi 5 15 15,: ijtic'ulerly; togs ich appartitils V w ips tab e .y Y tio is ,s ple an v Icon-Q stru'cted' and openitd feedipgapparatus. adopted flifi n lyf t "t -1d 'si stant au'y lcb ar objects,

means; such las s by m ns o" f r vid hagardjsu'pply of g of "separate-in "1' tof lieifarranged I v successive deliveryftherfroinf al ou predeterminedfr anr e'r th sbein'gjso to each 'o ther with res" a successive, o shortening of the ex t ce, end sjtherec'ffiafidfup "the" Vicinity bfth'e' "en I I e i le sun ef l andi 0.: e. atureian objected; e =in 9ntion; e e ences ulcibe hagto thei following detailed flescription' taken-fin; connection with the: accompanying drawings; in

Fig.1 a side eleyationalflviewxwith parts in section :and parts br'oke'n aiivy of one f" mb i ment bf the pres'eht'ihvention indicating 'ohe t'yfie be aqvant'ageoiisly assbciatedz" j i Fig: 21st topplari-ji ie wofthe' fee in app 7 ratus shown in 1 withpalr ts'brokehawagrj f Fig-. 3 is asectional eleyatio gwithf ijartsjbrokezi i awayi-of anotherfembodiment"fdfthe of receiver wit f hieh the'jfeedipgapparqms ma may berequi red. it

I simple and. efficierit m anner Itcorppri s'e Fe; ma -1 m. Fi -s1 g owing; s n:

anotherembodimentpftheinvention.

3 1 610 therd ifficultie attends, t upon 5 55 ers having cup-like recesses, especially those aii's,

' ing; wheri citrus fruits v are placed.insuchfreceiw ers to be carried to it'ree ting'hpparatus, have been c 7 pointeqf out in the SkiIiIier,et,a1.fPatent 2;28 3 ,61'5 ,il Suchas ci uSffruitjorQthe ;1ike,;rr om,a, common ic -".01 Ma 19', 1942, and" the- Walker patent zasema umi y jects to bounceout o e recesses pf the lh oving. receiver Also, when th feeding means com rises 'i'v'f "ed 2 lfeedir g rn'eahs and the 'recei'vi' ir fi es of, the moving receiver. Further, calreful'timingalso -4 theseg nd 1 tome: tprome' "andidi rality of inclined walysdown each-oi Wh'iblfgf v lanuohjects are adapt d Ito. tumblefin sihgle file 'frofn'.

po inim upp yth reqr l'hese W33 i a successively; foreshorteiied at their entrance ends, a distance approximately equal to, or somewhat v. r en' than ;"thv e a .li e,-1 i,

age tHobjects' and agitate them to previentja mine; at the entrances to .the ways,- These .agatfiifThe 'reci'ziv'er my cooperatg -with'sui-t i .able mecha'nism for halv'ing the-fruit and ex-g tractingthejuic'e; orfitherwis operating thereon.

alt succeeding-sta tions:rt 7' The objects, e. g. oranges, may be suppliedfrom any suitable-source which may include a. Sizer.- "belt over which the fruit is run to ar ld under, a

Sizer 1 0 a -un rstoodt e The i ed iw m -then: be i db any suit b me to the abri'aratiis of the present invention such 7 ,as 8 lat'eIeV'tOr [3' comprising a, continuous blt i Ifdrfii h'ich' i's'l transversely arranged BI plurality of slots ll5. The elevator I3 carries the globular objects to the position indicated at 1'6 where they are permitted to roll from the elevator l3 into the entrance end I! of the apparatus of the present invention. The endless belt l4 may be lapped around a roller 18 suitably supported by a shaft l9 to which may also be keyed a spur gear 20 adapted for use in the drive of mechanism of the present invention.

.As shown in Figs. .1 and 2 the novel feeding apparatus may comprise a wide chute 2| adapted to receive at its entrance end IT a haphazard supply of the globular objects or oranges. If this chute is to be employed in the separate feeding of a plurality of rows of receiving :cups, such as three rows which may be staggered .desired'as proposed in the above identified Walker patent, the objects must be taken from the common haphazard supply and arranged in three single files,

or as many files as there are rows of receiving cups in the moving receiver, without undesired jamming. For this purpose the inclined chute 20 may be provided with a pair of dividing walls 22 and 23 which, together with side walls 24, 24 of the chute 2|,provide three separate ways down each of which the objects are to tumble in single file.

Feeding into the 'three separate ways may be accomplished by foreshortening the entrance ends of the ways. Preferably such foreshortening is of a distance approximately equal to, or somewhat greater than, the average diameter of the objects so that feeding to all three ways in auniform and eflicient manner will 'be assured. This is indicated in both Figs, 1 and 2 wherein the dividing wall 23 is shown to be foreshortened about the diameter of one ofthe objects A with respect to the entrance end of the dividing wall 22.

In accordance with the development of the present invention it 'was unexpectedly found that jamming, or ineificient feeding or arrangement of the objects .into'the respective single files, could be effectively avoided at all times by'the employment at the'bottom of the ways in the vicinity of their entrance ends of object agitating means such as upwardly movable means to engage the objects and agitate them, thereby assuring that they will fill up the longer way, spill overand fill up th next longest way, and spill 'over again to fill up the successively shortened ways in an orderly fashion. In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention this is preferably accomplished by a link belt structure. 215, the upper stretch of which may extend substantially completely across .the chute 21, a sec.- tion of the bottom 26 thereof being preferably removed as is .indicated ,inEigs. 1 and 2, and with the upper stretch of the .link .belt serving as the bottom of the ways at least in the vicinityof their entrance ends.

The link belt structure may be rotatably .supported :on a pair of rolls .2! and 28 with the roll 21 fixed to a shaft 29 :to which may be keyed a spur gear 30 :meshed with the spur zgear 2.0 to

be driven from the latter. "The roll 28 may also be fixed upon a rotatable shaft 23] to'which may be keyed :a pulley '32 about which a belt l33 may be lapped for the drive of other mechanism, as hereinafter indicated. Of course it will be *understood that the belt structure need not hecessa-rily be a link belt structure, but the latter :is preferred due to the uneven surfaces and .projections provided thereby which assure a better grip upon the surfaces of the globular objects to assure the efi'ective agitation thereof.

The three ways, depicted by way of example, or resultant chutes provided by the side walls 24, 24 and dividing walls 22 and 23 may feed to any desired receiving means, but preferably are associated with the retard roller apparatus of the above identified Walker patent for the reasons therein indicated. Obviously the retard roller means may comprise three separate chutes each of which is aligned with one of the chutes provided by the above desirably subdivided chute 2 I. However, for the purpose of simplicity the three ways of the chute 2| may be continued to provide the three ways of the retard roller means as is proposed in Figs. .1 and 2.

In such case the two side walls 24, 24 may support in the vicinity of their lower ends a rotatable shaft 34 to which is keyed apulley 35 to be driven by the belt 33. The lower end 36 of the chute 2| may thus constitute a delivering end terminating adjacent the cylindrical receiver 10 means may be a single roll structure suitably grooved in the vicinity of each of the three ways or it may comprise a plurality of 'hyperboloid .elements 38-38, one for each of the ways as is indicated in Fig. 2. When the rollers 3838 are so shaped they have the advantage. of tending to center the objects regardless of the shape of the ways so that the objects fall into the middle of the cups l2--l'2 "of the receiver, l0; there to be prop! erly located and securely seated. These retard rollers are preferably made of hardor unyielding material, but may be made of or-surfaced with somewhat resilient material such as rubber or the like. These rollers are spaced from the bottoms of their respective chutes a distance sufiicient to 0 permit. the fed objects to move by gravity past them to the receiver, and the distance between any portion of the surface of the cups 1-2-12 and an opposed portion of the surface of the rollers 38-38 is preferably slightly morev than the distance between that.,portion of .a cup surface andthe opposed portion of the protruding surface .of any object to be located thereinso that the .objects will pass freely beneath the rollers when the objects are properly seated. in the receiving ;cups' thereby permitting them to he .carriedaway in more detail in the above identified Walker patent. The chute 2.] is inclined, as shown inli'ig. 1, so

that the globular objects will tumble down-it and its respective ways due to the force of gravity, The inclination of the chute f2] may beat an angle of about fifteen toforty-flve degrees, and the entrance portion thereof should be of'suflicient length to obtain a free movement of the globular-objects before they ar diverted into the separatepaths of th successive ways provided by the foreshortened dividing walls 22 and 23.

Although thestructures shown in Figs. 1 and .2 are preferred, it is obvious that other agitating means maybe -provided,;such as a'pair of roughened rolls 39.39,, -.one of-which has the peripher thereof rotated in ;a. .slot 40 in the @bottom 26 of the chute somewhat medially of the way .70 provided by the side wall 24 and dividing wall .22 in the yicinity of the entranceend thereof; The otherroll 39 similarl has-its periphery rotated inaslot the bottom .of theway provided by the dividing walls and 23 alsoin the vicinity of by movement of the receiver, all as is explained.

the entrance end thereof. When the rolls 39.3.9 7

stretch of link belt 25.

are rotated 'in'a suitable direction, 'such-asindicated b'y the' 'arrow in Fig:3,"it-'wil1 be seen' thafi eachfprovi'des an' upwardly movable means atth'e' 1 agitatethem so as to draw 'theffruit away from the entrance ends should there be any "tendency for the same tojam. at that locationas tempt to enter the difierentways.

A similar end may be obtained" by? 'pr o'viding the upwardly n'iovii'lg' means at the 'bo'ttdrrf qr the waysin the rvicinityfof their entrance-"ends such as by the provision Of an agitating plate-ji aspropos'edin'l igge. This plate'4l may "'e locatedina slot 42 in the "bottom of the chute structure 2 I1 in'the vicinity of the entrance endsof 'the'successiv'ely foreshort'ened' ways; and pre'f erably extends substantially entirelyacrosschut 2|'.=. "In' order to avoid any tendency for a down wardly zmoving surface to increase any jamming tendency, provision mayibe made "for assuring that'the plate 4| is held in the'plane of the bot 7 tom 26 of the chute 2| only as it i's-slid upwardly from itslowermost position to its uppermost po sitionr It may then be retracted out of thesl'ot 42 soias toavoidengagement with-thesurfa'ces of the objects during return travel downwardly to its initial position. For this purpose *the'plate 4 =-may,,.be suitably supported upon" one or more arms 43 and; one or'more' arms "44." The arm or arms 43 'may carry a stu'dior shaft andthe' ar'm" or arms 44 may carry: a:similar-studor' shaft 46. The studs or 's'hafts 45 and 46 are slidably supported upon asurface 41 sprovided'by a-ne1on"-' I gated slot548 inan enlarged head 49 0f a member 50 reciprocatively supported in any suitable man nor s'uchias by means 5 I. :This reciprocating and s a pin :52 disposedin a ng structure may be i u ns; I

slot3-53 in theend of anarm 54: of a bellcrarik leverr55, the other arm 56 "of "which-- is pivoted to a reciprocable control arm 51. A stopiama'y rocation of'the plate 4| may be obtained in any suitable manner such as by an arm 59 having a slot 60 receiving the pin or shaft 46, and with the arm 59 pivoted to a reciprocable 'arm 6|. The bellcrank lever and the arm 59 maybe as upon a common shaft 62.

In operation of the embodiment shown by way of example in Figs. 1 and 2 the. elevator or slat conveyor |3 carries oranges up to the position l6 and dumps them into the entrance end ll of the chute 2|. This is done in a haphazard manner without any attempt to segregate; align, or prearrange the oranges. The latter, then start rolling down the inclined chute 2| over the bottom surface, provided by the upwardly moving top They then continue to tumble down the surface of the moving link belt a sufficient distance to obtain a free movement, after which they approach the entrance ends of the three ways provided by the side flanges 24, 24 and the foreshortened dividing walls 22 and 23. If there is any tendency to jam at the entrance pivotally mounted in any suitable manner such I scribed, and "all stateme'rit's' of the sco'p of deliv'e ring end 35 of the chute. j In "a practice of the invention an embodiment o'ffithe modification-proposed mags: l and 2 i cludes' a" link beltstructure the upper stretch of 1 whichis about three and one halffeet longj and the" ways from? thelower "end off: the-"link, 'b'elti structure to' tlie deliveringi'nd t th'freta d" roller means 31 are abouteight'to ten in'cheslong? This apparatus is being effectivelyuse'd n em: I cient" attainment ofthe esired operations fo linedabovejf 4 Y f It will thus be seen that't fe" objects set are efficiently attained-by "thei ai naratus of "t present 'invention,'an'dtlie invention 'facco'ifdin ycomprisesthe featuresof coiisti'uc'tionj combin tion of'elements ana armngementcf part I will 'be iexemplified" 111* the 1 construction herein after set forth and the scope'of'the inventionwil I beh'ridicate'd the-claims) 1'It is alsdtdloeuIidiStfiO that the followi g claims "are intended to ccve'ran of -me'= ge' and specific features of the invention herein invention which} as I a; matter of 1ai gaat'g" besaid to falltherebetweenl" I 7 :Having' described our invention," what wecla' as'riew and desire to'secure bylJettersPatent ;1s: l

- r 1. Afeeding device comprising, in'combination f I 40 *a plurality of inclined ways down each'ofwhich globular objects are adaptedtoj'tumble in sin le j file, is'ai'djwa'ys being succ'essively' foreshortened at their entrance ends a at least as great; 45 as ifih'dppl'dxill'litallelage jects, means td provide 'acommon sup'ply of ob jects for said ways, and means in the vicinity of the entrance ends of the ways to engage the objects and tend to move the engaged portions thereof in a direction generally oppositerthat which the objects move down the inclined ways under the force of gravity to agitate the objects 'and thereby avoid jamming at the entrance ends.

2. A feeding device comprising, in combination, a plurality of inclined ways down each of which globular objects are adapted to tumble in 7 single file, said Ways being successively foreends to these separate ways, movement of the link belt upwardly agitates theoranges and tends to draw them away so that they will properly tumble into the separate ways in single file. The foreshortening of the'dividingwalls 22 and shortened at their'entrance ends a distance at least as great as the approximate average diameter, of the objects, means to provide a common supply of objects for said ways; and upwardly movable means at the bottom of the ways in the vinicity of their entrance ends to engage the objects and agitate them.

3. A feeding device comprising, in combination, a plurality of inclined ways down each of which globular objects are adapted to tumble in single file, said ways being successively foreshortened at their entrance ends a distance at least as great as the approximate average diameter of the objects, means to provide a common supply of objects for said ways, and means providing upwardly movable surfaces constituting the bottoms of said ways at their'entrance ends.

4. A feeding device comprising, in combination, a plurality of inclined ways down each of which as the approximate average diameter of the ob? J'ects, means. to. provide a common supply of o jects for said ways, endlessbelt means can stituting the bottoms of said ways at their en,- trance ends, and means to-d-rive said rbeltrmeans in a direction whereby upp r surfaces thereof will travel upwardly along said ways,

A ieeding device comprisin in combination, a plurality of inclined ways down which-globula o jects are adapted to tumble in sin le. file, a plurality .of. dividing walls. separating said ways. from each othersuccessively ioreshortened. a distance at least as great as the-approximate average diameter :of the objects, means to provi e-acornmon supply of. objects for said ways, and innwardly movable surfacesconstituting. the bot.- toms. of; said, ways at their entrance ends.

v6....A .rfeedin de ce c p sing in cqmbina tion, a plurality of inclined ways down lobular objects are adapted. to tumble in si le fila plurali y .of dividing walls s parat said ways zfrom each other successively ioreshortened a, d stance at. least. as reat as the approximate verage diameter of the ob ects, means to provide a c mmon. supply of objects for said ways. an endless belt having an upper stretch constituting the bottoms of said ways at their entrance ends, and means to drive. said belt: in a direction whereby theupper stretch travel upwardly alon said ways. Y

'l. A feeding device comprising, inrcomhination,

a lurality of inclined ways down each of which;

globular objects are adapted totumble in single file, said ways being successively foreshortennd at their entranceends a-distance at least as great. as the, approximate average diameter of the obje ts, means to provide a common supply of;

objects for said Ways, endless -1inkbelt means con.-

stituting the bottoms of said ways. at their en,- trance ends. and means to drive said belt means in a direction whereby upper surfaces thereof will travel upwardly along said ways.

globular objects. are adapted, ta tumble in s ngl l S way "be n :snccessively' :zforeshortcnecl;- at their entrance ends -a distance :at.=leas.t:;as.great .8...v ,Aieeding device comprising, incom'bination;

a plurality of inclined ways idOWIl which globular objects are. adapted :to..tumble. in single file,- a

plurality of. dividing wal-lsseparating said ways.-

jectstoitheupperend of saidchutea plurality of' dividing walls. extending longitudinally of said chute and dividing. it: into a plurality of separate ways, said dividing walls terminating at. their upper ends. short of the entrance end .of said chute :and being successively toreshortcned at their upper ends a distance at least as great as the approximate average diameter of the objects, an endless :belt having an upper stretch constituting the bottom of .said chute at the upper ends of said dividing walls, and means to drive saidbelt-in va direction whereby the upper stretch travels upwardly. r V

10. A. feeding device comprising, in combina- :.tion, an inclined chute, means .tosupply globular objects to the upper end of said chute, a plurality of dividing walls extending. longitudinally of said chute anddividing it into a plurality of separate ways, said dividing walls zterminatingat their iupper ends short of the entranceiend of: said chute and being successively ioreshortened at their upper ends a distance atv least as great as the apDIiQXimate average diameter of the objects, an endless link belt having an upper stretch constituting the bottom -.of said chute :at theupper ends of said dividing walls, and means to drive said. belt in a direction whereby-the upper stretch travels upwardly.

.JAMES CARLYLE BRQNSON-C. 

